European Master's Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

European Master's Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation European Master’s Degree In Human Rights and Democratisation Awarded Theses of the Academic Year 2014/2015 “Duty to disobey? A perspective on the new civil disobedience, between international actors and digital media” Thesis by Elettra Repetto European Master’s Degree in E.MAHuman Rights and Democratisation EIUC gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the European Commission which made this publication possible. © Venice: EIUC, 2016 DOI 10.7404/eiuc.ema.20142015.04 www.eiuc.org European Master’s Degree In Human Rights and Democratisation Awarded Theses of the Academic Year 2014/2015 “Duty to disobey? A perspective on the new civil disobedience, between international actors and digital media” Thesis by Elettra Repetto FOREWORD The European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democra­ tisation (E.MA) is the first Master’s course in human rights and dem­ ocratisation launched and financed by the European Commission that later served as model for establishing other Regional Master’s around the world. Since January 2013 these are all connected and managed by the European Inter­University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) under the Global Campus of Regional Master’s Programmes (GC). E.MA is a one­year master’s course aimed at preparing professionals to respond to the requirements of daily work in international organ­ isations, field operations, governmental and non­governmental bodies, and academia. The programme offers an action and policy­oriented approach to learning about human rights, democratisation and inter­ national relations from legal, political, historical, anthropological, and philosophical perspectives. This interdisciplinary nature and wide­ranging scope of E.MA reflect the benefits of true European inter­university cooperation in human rights education. It is an inter­ disciplinary programme that reflects the indivisible links between human rights, democracy, peace and development. During the first semester in Venice, students have the opportunity to meet in a multi­cultural environment and be taught by leading academics, experts and representatives of international and non­governmental organisations. During the second semester students relocate to one of the participating universities in the various EU Member States to follow additional courses in an area of specialisation of their own choice and to write their thesis under the supervision of the E.MA Director or other academic staff. After successfully passing exams and completing a Master’s thesis, students are awarded the European Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation jointly conferred by a group of EIUC/E.MA universities. Each year the E.MA Council of Directors selects five theses which stand out not only for their formal academic qualities but also for the originality of topic, innovative character of methodology and approach, and potential usefulness in raising awareness about neglected situations or issues and capacity for contributing to the promotion of the values underlying human rights and democracy. The E.MA Awarded Theses of the academic year 2014/2015 are: • Desguin, Noemi, Land Insecurity and Barriers to the Realisation of the Fundamental Right to Water and Sanitation. The Tale of Two Slums in Delhi, Supervisor: Prof. Zdzislaw Kedzia, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan´. • Genevey, Moana, Fear, Hatred, and the Limits of Law. A Critical Analysis of French Political Discourse Following Terrorist Attacks, Super­ visor: Dr. Natasa Mavronicola, Queen’s University, Belfast. • Ivanova, Desislava, The “Insignificant” Other. Bulgarian Ethno­ nationalism in Past and Present Policies Towards the Roma, Supervisor: Prof. Adalberto Perulli, Ca’ Foscari University, Venice. • Repetto, Elettra, Duty to Disobey? A Perspective on the New Civil Disobedience, Between International Actors and Digital Media, Supervisor: Dr. Graham Finlay, University College Dublin - National University of Ireland. • Ruppacher, Raphael, Not That Kind of Gay. Credibility Assessment and the Concept of Sexual Orientation in European Asylum Law, Super­ visor: Prof. Helena Pereira de Melo, New University of Lisbon. This volume includes the thesis Duty to Disobey? A Perspective on the New Civil Disobedience, Between International Actors and Digital Media by Elettra Repetto, and supervised by Dr. Graham Finlay, University College Dublin - National University of Ireland. BIOGRAPHY Former philosophy student and ecologist activist, I have always been interested in promoting and widening political participation, revising the concept of membership. Expert in the use of social media and passionate about photography and documentaries, after working in an asylum seekers facility centre in Italy for Caritas, I decided to work on migration and participation using also videos as advocacy tools. ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis is to analyse the concept of civil disobedience and to give a justification for it, to finally assess whether or not it is possible to claim that there is a duty to disobey. The initial focus will be on the definition of the concept of civil disobedience itself, to move then to the actors involved, from social movements, to non­governmental organisations, and power holders, and show how the nation­state is not the only entity that counts in the political sphere, nowadays. I will then question the idea of a non­violent civil disobedience, to include violence in the definition of it, maintaining however the difference between civil disobedience and revolution. Afterwards, I will consider the concept of responsibility and the reasons of the dissenters, before turning to Internet as the new space where new actors, such as Anonymous and the whistle­blowers, make a more pluralistic politics. So, I will justify civil disobedience on the basis of democracy as an inclusive system, and on the respect that the institutions should have for our moral agency. I will consequently derive from this the idea that dissenters should be punished in a more clement way than common criminals. Finally, I will conclude by arguing that, under certain circumstances, we might have a duty to disrespect the law. I will base this claim on the fact that, to be full individuals, we have to be political individuals, ready to act. Like past editions, the selected theses amply demonstrate the richness and diversity of the E.MA programme and the outstanding quality of the work performed by its students. On behalf of the Governing Bodies of EIUC and E.MA and of all participating universities, we congratulate the author. PROF. MANFRED NOwAk EIUC Secretary General PROF. RIA wOLLESwINkEL E.MA Chairperson European Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation Awarded Theses of the Academic Year 2014/2015 Thesis by Elettra Repetto EIUC gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the European Commission which made the release of this thesis possible © 2016 by EIUC First edition: xxxx 2016 DOI XXXXXXXXXX www.eiuc.org ELETTRA REPETTO DUty tO DISOBEy? A PERSPECtIvE ON tHE NEw CIvIL DISOBEDIENCE, BEtwEEN INtERNAtIONAL ACtORS AND DIGItAL MEDIA ELETTRA REPETTO I owe a special thanks to Professor Graham Finlay, for having been so kindly patient and having supervised my work, which I am sure gained a lot from his critical analysis. I am grateful to Heidi Reily for having been so helpful for the entire period of my staying at UCD, and having invited me to some interesting conferences that widened my view on the role we can have as human rights activists. My gratitude goes to my family, that has always pushed me to follow my con­ victions, even in difficult situations and whose support is priceless. A special thanks goes also to Virginie and Serena, for their time and their friendship. I am in debt with Michela, Zoë, Hedda, Athina, for having supported me from all over Europe until the very end of this thesis, and in particular with Athanasia with whom I have shared long talks around this topic and around “the good society.” Finally, I would like to thank all my friends, all those that during these years discussed with me of politics, justice and freedom. This thesis is just the continuation of our discussions. 2 DUTY TO DISOBEY? tABLE OF CONtENtS 4 Introduction 7 I. towards a New Definition of Civil Disobedience 7 1. Disobedience as a Public Act 12 2. the Disobedients. From National Actors to International Movements 21 3. On Violence 28 II. The Concept of Responsibility. Consequences and Reasons of Disobedience 28 1. Facing the Consequences of Disobedience 32 2. Against the Law for the Law. the Idea of the Good Society 38 III. the Digital Era. the Democratic Net 38 1. Anonymous and the New Hacktivism 47 2. Internet. A New Political Space without Borders, without Bodies 54 IV. Justifications and Duty 54 1. Disobedience, Autonomy and Freedom for the Sake of Democracy 61 2. Punishment. the Legal Answer to the Breach of the Law 66 3. Is there a Duty to Disobey? 70 Conclusion 73 Bibliography 3 ELETTRA REPETTO INtRODUCtION Obedientia Civium Urbis Felicitas Dublin city motto As story shows us, being a human rights activist often implies being also a disobedient. Nelson Mandela and Gandhi fought their battles also using illegal means and they are acknowledged for being fundamental figures in creating a culture of respect among human beings. Indeed, fighting for human rights worldwide often means opposing the status quo, which could entail also resorting to disobedience, for the sake of changing a state of affairs perceived as unjust. This is precisely what civil disobedience is, an illegal act brought about by conscientious agents in order to change the law, or part of the system they are opposing, because they consider this system to be unfair, unequal, unjust. The way I conceive it, disobeying means to be so highly committed to an ideal of justice, to be ready to resort to illegal means to fight for this ideal. A disobedient, in this framework, cares more about the cause she is disobeying for, than only about her personal interest, and she is ready to be responsible for disobeying.
Recommended publications
  • Impending Developments and Transformations in International Law
    The Chinese Journal of Global Governance 3 (2017) 83–159 brill.com/cjgg The Clash of Architects: Impending Developments and Transformations in International Law Joel Slawotsky IDC Herzliya, Israel [email protected] Abstract The world stands at the precipice of a transitional moment in the international law writ caused by the reasonable likelihood that new architects will be joining (and eventually supplanting) the present-day architects. Transformative geo-political and economic developments such as OBOR, the AIIB, NDB and the increasing internationalization of the Yuan all herald potentially significant changes to the existing international gover- nance architecture. “Revisionist” states with strong motivations and global ambitions, may will become international law creators as these new architects influence the eco- nomic and legal orders. International law is not static and several of the new architects’ customs and norms inherently conflict with current Western ideals. Will international law norms converge? Will Western notions gravitate towards the other spectrum in enlightened self-interest? The impact on international law norms, enforcement, human rights, sustainability, trade and investment treaties and arbitration will be far-reaching. Understanding how this potential re-orientations in power will affect international law is of critical importance. Keywords global governance architecture – international law – norms The world stands at the precipice of a transitional moment for international law affecting both the creation and enforcement of international law;1 access 1 The dispute between China and the United States over the South China Sea provides an apt illustration. See Michael Martina, Greg Torode and Ben Blanchard, China scrambles © Slawotsky, Joel, 2�17 | doi 10.1163/23525207-12340025 This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 3.0 Unported (CC-BY-NC 3.0) License.
    [Show full text]
  • Saudi Arabia Page 1 of 18
    Saudi Arabia Page 1 of 18 Published on Freedom House (https://freedomhouse.org) Home > Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia Country: Saudi Arabia Year: 2015 Status: Not Free Total Score: 73 (0 = Best, 100 = Worst) Obstacles to Access: 15 (0 = Best, 25 = Worst) Limits on Content: 24 (0 = Best, 35 = Worst) Violations of User Rights: 34 (0 = Best, 40 = Worst) Population: 30.8 million Internet Penetration: 64 percent Social Media/ICT Apps Blocked: Yes Political/Social Content Blocked: Yes Bloggers/ICT Users Arrested: Yes Press Freedom Status: Not Free Key Developments: https://freedomhouse.org/print/47723 12/8/2016 Saudi Arabia Page 2 of 18 June 2014–May 2015 • The Saudi television channel Rotana ordered Google to take down a video of the satirical YouTube show “Fitnah” on copyright grounds, after the show had used footage from Rotana to criticize its owner, Prince Waleed bin Talal. The video was later restored by YouTube (see Content Removal). • Human rights activists Waleed Abu al-Khair and Fowzan al-Harbi have had their prison sentences extended to 15 and 10 years, respectively, upon appeals by the public prosecutor (see Prosecutions and Detentions for Online Activities). • Raif Badawi, who co-founded the website Saudi Arabia Liberals, had his 10-year sentence suspended and later upheld by the Supreme Court and received the first set of 50 lashes in January. He was sentenced to a total 1,000 lashes, to be carried out in public (see Prosecutions and Detentions for Online Activities). • During a funeral for the victims of an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants on a Shiite mosque, political activist Waleed Sulais was beaten by two men who accused him of insulting them on social networks (see Intimidation and Violence).
    [Show full text]
  • URGENT APPEAL the Case of Raif Badawi
    URGENT APPEAL The Case of Raif Badawi To the attention of: Special Procedures, United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner May 1, 2019 Related mandates Arbitrary Detention Freedom of opinion and expression Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association Human rights defenders Torture Victims Name: Raif Badawi ​ Type: Individual ​ Sex: Male ​ Date of birth: 13/01/1984 ​ Nationality: Saudi Arabia ​ Affiliation or activity: Human rights-related activity ​ Submitted by Name: The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights & The Human Rights Foundation ​ Type: NGOs ​ Email: [email protected] ​ Describe the activities of the group/community, civil society or other entity: The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (RWCHR) is a unique international consortium of parliamentarians, scholars, jurists, human rights defenders, NGOs, and students united in the pursuit of justice, inspired by and anchored in Raoul Wallenberg’s humanitarian legacy – how one person with the compassion to care and the courage to act can confront evil, prevail, and transform history. Our Chair, the Honourable Professor Irwin Cotler, serves as Raif Badawi’s international legal counsel and has power of attorney. The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. HRF unites people in the common cause of defending human rights and promoting liberal democracy. Contact persons of the group/community, civil society or other entity: Irwin Cotler- Raoul
    [Show full text]
  • Arab Secularism's Assisted Suicide
    Arab Secularism’s Assisted Suicide A Brief History of Arab Political Discourse on Religion and the State APRIL 25, 2019 — MARK FARHA The Century Foundation | tcf.org Arab Secularism’s Assisted Suicide A Brief History of Arab Political Discourse on Religion and the State APRIL 25, 2019 — MARK FARHA Few would contest that the Arab world today is still ideological impasse. Relying on a range of Arabic primary struggling to accept, let alone institutionalize, the core pillars sources, it begins with a panoramic historical overview of of secularism and a civic state. In part, this crisis of secularism the usage of the term “madani” (meaning “civil” or “civic”) might be seen as a global phenomenon in light of the among a selection of key liberal and reformist Arab proliferation of populism tinged with communal prejudice. intellectuals, from the nineteenth century to the present.2 But while there is a global component to this problem, there The report also examines recurrent patterns in the use of are also particular regional characteristics. This report seeks “dawlah madaniyyah” as a means of either asserting or to go beyond the current crisis surrounding secularism avoiding an egalitarian, secular state in the present context as a symptom of a broader, universal failure of liberal of post-Arab-uprising states struggling with ideological and democracy and economic inequalities, and to specifically sectarian fragmentation. I explore how the concepts of the link the enfeebled state of secularism in Arab states to the civil state and citizenship have actually been used, in some region’s intellectual and political history since the nineteenth cases, to completely skirt secularism proper.
    [Show full text]
  • Houses Built on Sand Ii
    i Houses built on sand ii Series editors: Simon Mabon, Edward Wastnidge and May Darwich After the Arab Uprisings and the ensuing fragmentation of regime– society relations across the Middle East, identities and geopolitics have become increasingly contested, with serious implications for the ordering of political life at domestic, regional and international levels, best seen in conflicts in Syria and Yemen. The Middle East is the most militarised region in the world, where geopolitical factors remain predominant in shaping political dynamics. Another common feature of the regional landscape is the continued degeneration of communal relations as societal actors retreat into substate identities, while difference becomes increasingly violent, spilling out beyond state borders. The power of religion – and trans- state nature of religious views and linkages – thus provides the means for regional actors (such as Saudi Arabia and Iran) to exert influence over a number of groups across the region and beyond. This series provides space for the engagement with these ideas and the broader political, legal and theological factors to create space for an intellectual reimagining of socio- political life in the Middle East. Originating from the SEPAD project (www.sepad.org.uk), this series facilitates the reimagining of political ideas, identities and organisation across the Middle East, moving beyond the exclusionary and binary forms of identity to reveal the contingent factors that shape and order life across the region. iii Houses built on sand Violence, sectarianism and revolution in the Middle East Simon Mabon Manchester University Press iv Copyright © Simon Mabon 2020 The right of Simon Mabon to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
    [Show full text]
  • Saudi Arabia
    FREEDOM ON THE NET 2017 Saudi Arabia 2016 2017 Population: 32.3 million Not Not Internet Freedom Status Internet Penetration 2016 (ITU): 73.8 percent Free Free Social Media/ICT Apps Blocked: Yes Obstacles to Access (0-25) 14 14 Political/Social Content Blocked: Yes Limits on Content (0-35) 24 24 Bloggers/ICT Users Arrested: Yes Violations of User Rights (0-40) 34 34 TOTAL* (0-100) 72 72 Press Freedom 2017 Status: Not Free * 0=most free, 100=least free Key Developments: June 2016 – May 2017 • The government outlined plans to significantly increase broadband penetration by 2020 (see Availability and Ease of Access). • An online campaign to end male guardianship caught the attention of the royal court and resulted in gradual reforms (see Digital Activism). • A court increased an activist’s prison sentence for advocating for human rights online from 9 to 11 years on appeal; others were newly detained (see Prosecutions and Detentions for Online Activities). • Public institutions lost critical data in major cyberattacks, including the civil aviation authority, a chemical company, and the labor ministry (see Technical Attacks). 1 www.freedomonthenet.org Introduction FREEDOM SAUDI ARABIA ON THE NET Obstacles to Access 2017 Introduction Availability and Ease of Access Saudi internet freedom remained restricted in 2017, despite effective digital activism for women’s Restrictions on Connectivity rights. Several human rights defenders were jailed for social media posts. Saudi Arabia unveiled its monumental “Vision 2030” reform and development targets in April 2016. ICT Market The plan included measures to increase competitiveness, foreign direct investment, and non-oil government revenue by 2030.1 The government also announced a National Transformation Program in June 2016 which included several ICT specific targets to be achieved by 2020, including increasing Regulatory Bodies fixed-line broadband penetration in densely populated areas from 44 to 80 percent, and increasing wireless broadband penetration in rural areas from 12 to 70 percent.
    [Show full text]
  • Saudi Arabia
    FREEDOM ON THE NET 2016 Saudi Arabia 2015 2016 Population: 31.5 million Not Not Internet Freedom Status Internet Penetration 2015 (ITU): 70 percent Free Free Social Media/ICT Apps Blocked: Yes Obstacles to Access (0-25) 15 14 Political/Social Content Blocked: Yes Limits on Content (0-35) 24 24 Bloggers/ICT Users Arrested: Yes Violations of User Rights (0-40) 34 34 TOTAL* (0-100) 73 72 Press Freedom 2016 Status: Not Free * 0=most free, 100=least free Key Developments: June 2015 – May 2016 • Internet penetration has risen on the back higher mobile broadband subscriptions (see Availability and Ease of Access). • Authorities throttled Telegram starting in January 2016 in order to prevent users from sharing images and files over the popular messaging app (seeBlocking and Filtering). • The head of Riyadh’s Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice was dismissed after public outrage over a video of committee members harassing a girl outside of a mall (see Digital Activism). • Abdulkareem al-Khadar, Abdelrahman al-Hamid, and Abdulaziz al-Sinedi were respec- tively sentenced to 10, 9 and 8 years in prison for online advocacy against human rights violations. Saudi’s Supreme Court upheld a harsh verdict against liberal blogger Raif Bad- awi in June 2015, who had earlier been sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 public lashes (see Prosecutions and Detentions for Online Activities). • Mobile phone operators are now required to fingerprint customers when selling new SIM cards, limiting the ability of Saudis to use their phones anonymously (see Surveillance, Privacy, and Anonymity).
    [Show full text]
  • Saudi Arabia
    SAUDI ARABIA TIER 1 | USCIRF-RECOMMENDED COUNTRIES OF PARTICULAR CONCERN (CPC) KEY FINDINGS In 2018, while Saudi Arabia remained a country of particular harass individuals for dissent, blasphemy, and apostasy. The concern, religious freedom conditions trended positive in cer- Saudi government continued to violate the rights of Shi’a Mus- tain areas, including: Saudi senior officials no longer stated lims and non-Muslim minorities, and to advocate a doctrine of that Islam can be the only religion on the Arabian Peninsula; religious intolerance. While it began new construction in the senior leadership met with several Christian leaders, including Shi’a town of Awamiya, the Saudi government restricted the the head of the Anglican Church and a group of American observance of religious holidays by the Shi’a Muslim minority. evangelical leaders, pledging to promote interfaith dialogue After more than 15 years of incremental progress, the Saudi and the flourishing of different faith traditions as part of the government showed backsliding on improvements to its text- kingdom’s domestic reforms; Egyptian Bishop Ava Markos led books that continued to propagate intolerance and advocate the first known publicized Coptic Church Mass in Saudi Arabia’s violence against religious minorities, women, and the lesbian, history; USCIRF was granted the first-ever meeting between gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community. the head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Despite the fact that in 2018 women were given the right to Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) and a U.S. government delega- drive, the religiously justified guardianship system remained tion; religiously motivated restrictions on women driving were in place, adversely affecting the religious freedom of women lifted, and provisions of the guardianship laws treating women in the kingdom.
    [Show full text]
  • Challenges of Digital Activism in Saudi Arabia: the Case of Raif Badawi
    Challenges of Digital Activism in Saudi Arabia: The case of Raif Badawi Taghreed Alshehri Abstract Newcastle University The digital world is not as a universally free space as Newcastle upon Tyne, UK we might think. For instance, expressing one’s beliefs [email protected] and calling for freedom of religions might not only be deemed as disturbing cultures, status quo, politics and religions, but also considered as a criminal offence. Thus, in this paper, I argue that the role of digital civics researchers and practitioners is more challenging as they do not only have to design and build technical solutions for activism but also to ensure activists safety when applying these solutions. Author Keywords Digital activism, social justice, freedom, social media, digitalcivics ACM Classification Keywords Paste the appropriate copyright/license statement here. ACM now K.4.1 Public Policy Issues supports three different publication options: • ACM copyright: ACM holds the copyright on the work. This is the historical approach. Introduction • License: The author(s) retain copyright, but ACM receives an exclusive publication license. • Open Access: The author(s) wish to pay for the work to be open In the past few years, more citizens have opted for the access. The additional fee must be paid to ACM. online platforms where they can be active members in This text field is large enough to hold the appropriate release statement changing their cultures and communities. Activists, in assuming it is single-spaced in Verdana 7 point font. Please do not change the size of this text box. particular, have made use of the digital world to Each submission will be assigned a unique DOI string to be included here.
    [Show full text]
  • Raif Badawi and Waleed Abulkhair
    The Right to Freedom of Expression: Raif Badawi and Waleed Abulkhair “My grandfather was a Holocaust survivor and he used to take us to Speaker’s Corner. He was in awe of the freedom of speech there because he knew what it’s like not to have any… I chose to be a judge to stand between the individual and the power of the state.” (Judge Rinder, June 3rd 2017) Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has noted a global deterioration of press freedom in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index. Writers, activists, singers and poets are attacked or prosecuted and sometimes murdered for what they say in, for example Mexico, Russia, Belarus, Cambodia, Turkey, Zimbabwe, East Timor, Hungary and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia is currently ranked 168th out of 180 countries on the Index. 11 journalists and citizen journalists are currently jailed in Saudi Arabia. The cases of prisoners of conscience Raif Badawi and Waleed Abulkhair, imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for making public their views about aspects of Saudi Arabian society, show why it is essential to defend this right and show the price that some courageous individuals pay for saying what they think. On 17 June 2017 Raif Badawi will have been in prison for five years and he has become an international symbol of the right of freedom of expression. It will also be Waleed’s birthday. Raif Badawi is a blogger from Saudi Arabia. He started a blog called Free Saudi Liberals, which promoted democratic debate for all.[1] Raif was imprisoned by the Saudi authorities in 2012, charged with “setting up a website that undermines general security”, “ridiculing Islamic religious figures” and “going beyond the realm of obedience”.[2] Following a further trial for ‘apostasy’, which can carry the death penalty, Raif was sentenced to imprisonment for 10 years, fined 1 million riyal (about £200,000) and ordered to receive 1,000 lashes.
    [Show full text]
  • Subjectivity, Truth, and Hermeneutics in Dialogue with Michel Foucault
    Andrews University Seminary Studies, Vol. 56, No. 2, 257–276. Copyright © 2018 Andrews University Seminary Studies. THE TRUTHFUL SELF: SUBJECTIVITY, TRUTH, AND HERMENEUTICS IN DIALOGUE WITH MICHEL FOUCAULT Ante Jerončić Andrews University Abstract In the wake of the hermeneutical turn in Continental philosophy, the question of the interpretive agent has become a central feature in most discussions on hermeneutics. While schools of thought differ significantly in how they position themselves vis-à-vis the subjectivist-objectivist axis, few would deny that the delineation of the interpretive task must attend to the embodied character of human cognition. Taking such a broader framework as a starting point, I will tackle a specific aspect of this problematic by examining Foucault’s conception of subjectivity and truth as it relates to issues of epistemology, moral responsibility, and askēsis. As I will argue, Foucault’s “art of living” persuasively highlights the background or “unthought” aspects of hermeneutics. My particular approach will be to connect Foucault’s brand of virtue epistemology with a broadly post-Heideggerian conception of engaged agency, and in so doing spotlight some assumptions as to what “having truth” or “arriving at it” might mean in the context of hermeneutical practice and being. Keywords: Michel Foucault, hermeneutics, truth, subjectivity, parrhesia, askēsis Introduction* “What is philosophy if not a way of reflecting, not so much on what is true and what is false, as on our relationship to truth?”1 “My problem is the relation of self to self and of telling the truth. My own problem has always been the question of truth, of telling the truth, the wahr-sagen—what it is to tell the truth—and the relation between ‘telling the truth’ and forms of reflexivity, of self upon self.”2 *My profound thanks go to Guilherme Borda whose feedback has been invaluable for the crafting of this article.
    [Show full text]
  • Page Perso-Biblio CERLIS
    Philippe Corcuff Adresse électronique : [email protected] Numéro de téléphone : 04 37 28 38 61 (IEP de Lyon) Maître de conférences de science politique (section 04 du CNU) à l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Lyon depuis le 1er octobre 1992, HDR en Sciences Sociales (Université Paris Descartes) depuis le 22 juillet 2013 Membre du laboratoire CERLIS (Centre de Recherche sur les Liens Sociaux, UMR 8070 du CNRS, Université Paris Descartes et Université Sorbonne Nouvelle) depuis octobre 2003 Habilité à diriger des recherches au sein de l’Ecole Doctorale "Sciences humaines et sociales : cultures, individus, sociétés" (ED 180) de l'Université Paris Descartes depuis juillet 2013 Qualifié aux fonctions de professeur des universités par les sections 19 (Sociologie, démographie) pour la période 2018-2022 et 17 (Philosophie) pour la période 2019-2023 du Conseil National des Universités Né le 15 avril 1960 à Oran (Algérie) Deux enfants ORCID iD : 0000000296341306 (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9634-1306) HAL iD : philippe-corcuff (https://hal.archives- ouvertes.fr/search/index/?qa[authIdHal_s][]=philippe-corcuff) Academia.edu : https://sciencespo-lyon.academia.edu/PhilippeCorcuff ResearchGate : https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Philippe_Corcuff Formation et titres universitaires 2017 : Inscription en février 2017 sur la liste de qualification aux fonctions de Professeur des Universités de la section 19 (Sociologie, Démographie) du Conseil National des Universités 2013 : Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches en Sciences Sociales à
    [Show full text]